T20 WC final: England win toss, opt to bowl first against Pakistan

England won the toss and opted to bowl first against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup final in Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Both sides are unchanged for the final match of the multi-nation tournament. 

Remaining confident after the toss, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said the team is aiming to keep the momentum going - that it attained after winning four consecutive matches, reports The News.

Babar noted that had he won the toss, he would have also opted to bowl first.

"We'll try to put runs on the board and put pressure on [England]. The way the team is playing is outstanding," he added. 

England captain Jos Buttler said he opted to bowl first because of the weather.

"Huge game, good nerves, good energy around the team and in the stadium," Buttler said at the toss. "Both teams in red-hot form, looks a good wicket, a bit of weather around which is why we bowled first."

The weather - which posed a major threat to the tournament's final - has improved in Melbourne. The chance of rain has reduced from 95% to 46% before the highly-anticipated clash.

A minimum of 10 overs per side are needed to constitute a game, compared to five during the group stages. If the match starts on Sunday but isn't finished, it will resume on Monday from where it was halted.

Playing XI

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

England: Jos Buttler (c/wk), Alex Hales, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid.